Tomadoi
by Enula
Summary: [ Trans: Confusion ] 10 years later, Naraku is still undefeated. Rin is stuck in the middle of a triangle. At one corner: Sesshoumaru. At another: Kohaku. The other: Kagome. She likes all three but they don't like each other. Who will she choose? SR
1. Meeting Kohaku

**__**

Tomadoi

I.

Events took a dramatic turn and changed the entire course of life within a ten-year period. Although those momentous occurrences were taking place around everyone, they were not aware of their importance until much later. It was as though they looked through a misty glass; they saw them, but they did not understand their significance.

It all started when a large, fierce battle took place that would surely make history for the Feudal Era. It was the battle that finally set score between good and evil.

Naraku, the corrupt hanyou once known as being the mountain thief, Onigumo, had been defeated. Thanks to the devotion and talent of the Shikon no Tama travelers, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and not to mention the young kitsune Shippou, peace was once again restored among Japan.

The hunt for the Shikon shards was still on, however. The group managed to find well over half of the pieces, but six of the shards would continuously go unknown of their whereabouts, leaving the tama unable to complete.

Of course, that was ten years ago.

During that time period, only Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou continued the search for the shards, while Sango and Miroku finally decided to settle down together and start a family. To everyone's surprise, the couple stopped at one child, a boy they named Joji. Also living with them was Kohaku, who was now free of Naraku's possession, though he still simply survived by the shard in his neck. All were still unsure of how to go about that situation.

Kikyou was finally set free when she had been in a captive place that did not permit youkai such as her Shinidama Chuu. Inuyasha and Kagome grew older and wiser, leaving them to finally admit their feelings for one another. However, they didn't want to have any children until their mission was totally complete. And for the wondering people…Kagome did graduate from high school.

Eight years had passed and they still were not able to locate the site of the six missing pieces. Well, that puzzle was soon figured out when Naraku once again made his appearance. As it turned out, they managed to beat him…but not destroy him. They had won the battle, but not the war. Naraku went into some sort of state of a coma, as he had before, taking six shards into this state with him somehow, leaving everyone to be set free for a period of time.

The period of victory seemed shortly lived. Kohaku was once again under Naraku's control, and Miroku reclaimed his kazaana, his seven-year-old son also revealing the curse.

The group reformed, prepared to start all over again. This time, they were determined to defeat Naraku for good, despite two years passing with no luck.

So it begins…

~*~

A young girl with long, raven black hair that flowed around her form looked into her reflection that appeared back at her. Curious, chocolate colored eyes stared into the water, her thin lips set in a small smile. She sat on her knees on the bank of a slow-flowing river, the three-quarters moon high in the sky, lighting up the water with its' blue flame.

The soft breeze blew against her, leaving her with no choice but to reach up and push her hair behind her ear, her mouth now forming into a childish smile, a small giggle escaping her lips. With her delicate fingers, she extended her arm down to the water's surface, her hand tracing back and forth to create ripples to distort her image.

"Rin."

Hearing herself being addressed by the same low voice she hears everyday, she stood up and spun around happily, taking a few steps forward, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Her lord didn't respond to her immediately, standing only a mere five feet away from her. She, too, stood where she was, admiring his form before her. Her favorite feature about him that she always admired was his golden eyes, so cold yet so sparkly. When her own orbs met with his, she flashed him one of her bright smiles she's had since she was seven, ten years ago.

Rin watched as his silvery hair (she was constantly overjoyed that her hair length had almost caught up to his) got blown to the side from the wind, the boa he carried also blowing, almost seeming as though it blended right in with his strands.

She nearly always tried to read his eyes, to see if he was studying her the way she was studying him, but it never seemed like he did. No matter, she wasn't worried about such trivial things; that seemed like nonsense. Jaken had always told her that about time she reached her eighteenth birthday, Sesshoumaru would send her away. The inu-youkai had done his "good deed" by taking care of her as a child, but once she became a full grown woman, she should be on her own.

Of course, Rin never really listened to Jaken before and didn't plan on starting any time soon. When her Sesshoumaru-sama actually did such a thing, that's when she would believe it. But until then, she was perfectly happy and content with following her savior wherever he went.

"It's time to leave." He finally stated simply, turning gracefully to begin walking out of the clearing and back into the dark forest. Without saying another word, she began jogging to catch up with him, slowing down to a fast walk when she was right behind him. 

Up ahead, she could already hear Jaken complaining about this and that, not really making any sense. Once he came into view, she saw that he was swatting his arms and legs and face, indicating that mosquitoes were biting him. Rin watched as he seemed to dance around, every now and then making fire come out of his two-headed staff to maybe burn the little buggers.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she giggled behind the shield, glancing up at Sesshoumaru to see if he found it humorous, also, "Poor Jaken-sama…"

Of course, Sesshoumaru kept his infamous emotionless expression, simply walking past the pitiful toad and deeper into the forest. He kept his senses alert, for he knew that the particular forest they happened to be in at the moment, Kiken no Mori, was full of youkais that could most likely kill Rin within one swipe. The thought disturbed him a bit, but he was in full confidence of his ability to defend the girl, and he showed it perfectly.

However, once he realized he was almost half of a mile ahead of them, he stopped and turned slightly to the side, listening to Rin's continuous laughter and Jaken's ceaseless complaining. 

Turning around all the way, he seemed to become a bit upset that they weren't right at his side when he specifically, in his own way, told them to follow; "Jaken. Rin."

Though he was some distance away and he hardly raised his voice any higher than the tone he usually used, he immediately heard the sounds come to a halt, followed by the sound of their feet crunching over the leaves and twigs on the forest floor.

"Gomen ne, Sesshoumaru-sama!" they would both call out in unison, only stopping when they were directly in front of him.

While Jaken did look utterly sorry and scared of what Sesshoumaru might do to him for lagging behind, Rin quickly put on a grin and rushed to stand in front of him when he again turned around to continue. Stopping in his tracks once more, he looked down at his follower, looking at her with eyes that obviously said "speak or move."

"Where are we heading this time?" She questioned him, clasping her hands in front of her. Even through all her years of growing up, she managed to never lose the child that still held captive of her soul, though there were times when she decided to act her age, thinking about things teenagers think of.

Blinking once, Sesshoumaru walked forward, only slightly pushing the girl aside, knowing full well that she would move out of the way for him. Sure enough, she did move but instantly began walking closely as his side, only having to look up at him at about six inches. Rin now held her hands behind her back, leaning over a bit as she walked, making sure she would be able to look at her lord's face as she spoke to him.

"Are we getting out of this forest?" Rin asked, looking over her shoulder for a second to see Jaken still fighting off the mosquitoes.

"There is a cave we will come across," Sesshoumaru finally answered her, his pupils barely gazing down at her, "You and Jaken will stay there for tonight."

Behind them, they heard Jaken make a sound of astonishment and disappointment, "Nani? D-demo…Sesshoumaru-sama, do I really have to stay with her? Can't I come with—."

The kaeru youkai covered his mouth with his slimy hand immediately when Sesshoumaru glared back at him, only giving him a few seconds of his time.

"You will stay with her." And that was final.

Sighing in defeat, he decided to just talk to himself in his head, glaring angrily to the front of him watching as Rin babbled out about who-knows-what while Sesshoumaru never once interrupted her, hardly even seeming to take notice to her annoying behavior. Why did she have to be number one? What did she do that he didn't to get that spot? She was a mere human! Sesshoumaru was changing more and more, Jaken knew, for when he first met the 

Godlike youkai, he wanted nothing more but to destroy every human he happened to come across.

"…picking flowers in this large field when all of a sudden…_whoosh! _All these monsters came out of nowhere!" Every word Rin said, she had to emphasize on to indicate its full meaning and how real the dream seemed to her, "And then…and then…

__

"BOOM!" She screamed this word, stopping in her hiking quickly and throwing her arms into the air. She heard Jaken make a small scream from his surprise behind her, while Sesshoumaru continued on, unaffected by her boisterous attitude.

Keeping her stand in this current position, her calves were more open for when Jaken came up behind her and smacked the back of her leg with his staff.

"Ow!" Rin lowered her arms and rubbed the back of her right leg, though feeling only a slight pain in the area above her ankles, "What was that for?"

"Shizuka ni! I'm surprised millions of youkai haven't come out of their resting-places to kill you yet! If you make one more sound…" Jaken put his staff right in front of her face, the woman facing her. Rin took a step back, knowing full well that fire could come out of it. However, she wasn't that afraid of the threat. Jaken most likely wouldn't go through with it and if he did…he would have to hear from Sesshoumaru.

"Jaken, leave her alone," Sesshoumaru warned, though never stopping, "Rin, behave."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin said happily, rushing forward to catch up with him once again, already forgetting about the dull ache Jaken had put on her calves. As she was told, she behaved by staying close by his side and not saying a word, entertaining herself with the beautiful night sights around her. Every once and awhile, she would see a flower that would especially catch her eye, making her hands reach down to snatch some up if they weren't too far out of the way.

Finally, after about ten minutes, they reached the end of the forest, and immediately, they saw the cave Sesshoumaru was talking about. The hole in the side of the mountain seemed deep, but not very wide. The narrow opening maybe allowed two people to squeeze in at once, leaving the area almost youkai resistible. After all, the youkai around this area were a bit on the large side.

"Get some rest," he ordered, telling Rin this more than Jaken. The Lord of the Western Lands turned and walked east of the cave, expecting them to obey, "I'll be back in the morning."

"Ja ne, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin waved her arm high in the air, though his back was towards her, "Rin will be waiting for you! Hurry back! Don't get hurt! Remember to—."

"That's enough," Jaken stated dully, disappearing within the cave, still sulking about having to stay with Rin instead of keeping up with his lord. Since when did he become a baby-sitter anyway? …Couldn't the girl take care of herself, regardless? Couldn't Sesshoumaru fetch Ah-Un and have them "protect" the girl that he called a nuisance?

Rin stood outside of the cave until she could no longer keep sight of Sesshoumaru, only then feeling content enough to enter the cave with Jaken.

**********

A twig snapped. That was the only explanation of what made Rin wake up with a start. For some reason, she had a hard time falling asleep, but just as she was about to doze off, she heard some kind of sound form outside of her shelter.

She squinted her eyes a little to try to get focus in the darkness, but saw that it did not work too well, "…Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin whispered loudly, wondering if he had come back earlier than had been expected. She heard no answer, but of course, she figured Sesshoumaru wouldn't answer her, even if he were standing right outside.

Looking down, she could barely make out the outline of Jaken, but she heard his snoring, only then knowing his exact location. Crawling over to him, she shook his shoulders, trying to wake him in case there happened to be some sort of danger out there, "Jaken-sama…Jaken-sama?"

He merely shrugged her off, turning over to his side, facing away from her. Rin sat back on her knees and eyes him through the darkness for a moment before glancing back out the narrow passage. Oh well, it wasn't like he would be much help anyway.

Standing up, she brushed off her blue and green kimono, walking towards the exit to see if she could get a peek of what made that sound. Again, just for measures, she called out; "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

When she didn't hear an answer again, she walked the rest of the way out, keeping her hand rested gently on the side walls, just in case she happened to trip over something in the dark. Rin looked to the right and then to the left, only to do a double take back to the right. About a half a mile ahead, she spotted something that was black and yellow, making her take another step out of the cave. She recognized those colors from somewhere…a long time ago.

Taking another step, she flinched when her bare foot tramped on a stick. Looking down, she saw that it had already been broken, a sign that that person had been walking past the cave and that was what she actually heard. 

Curiosity took over her mind, her legs beginning to carry her towards the man wearing the black and yellow. That had always been one of her traits, even throughout her childhood; she just couldn't seem to outgrow it. Her motto to herself: When something looks interesting, go after it.

To go after it, however, she had to go into a jog, the person already far ahead of her and walking at a very quick pace.

__

'I know I've seen that outfit before…' She told herself, trying her best to remember. The suit was tight…a warrior's outfit. The man, Rin could tell, had pitch-black hair like hers, his hair going a little past his shoulders and then tied back in a high ponytail.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should stay at the cave like Sesshoumaru had told her to do, but she was sure nothing bad would happen. Everything else around her seemed to be sleeping, the dead of the night having its effects. Up ahead, she saw that the man had slowed his gait, leaving her all the more time to catch up to him.

For some reason unbeknownst to her, her heart began pounding more heavily in her chest and that usually only happened when she knew something was going to happen. Whether that something is good or bad remained a mystery. Rin put her right hand over her heart to try to settle it down, especially when she saw the man stop abruptly.

Quickly, she made her way to him, only slowing down when she was about ten feet away. The wind blew, brushing her hair across her face again, also seeing how the man's hair got brushed to one side. Taking one more cautious step forward, she heard her voice come out squeaky and high-pitched, "Su—sumimasen, um…"

Before she could think another thought, the man was directly in front of her, his rough hand holding her behind her neck, a sharp weapon pointing to her throat. Sucking in a breath, she found that she couldn't breathe, let alone scream for help. Rin squeezed her eyes shut, just waiting for him to strike her dead. That is, until he spoke.

"What do you want?"

Opening one eye first, she squinted at him, making sure he didn't make any other sudden movements. However, once she got a short glimpse of him, she had to open both of her large eyes in wonder, subconsciously feeling her breath flow out. Taking a quick peak down at the weapon at her throat, she noticed that it was a kusarikama. It was then that she was sure. 

Looking back up into the dark eyes of the man that looked about twenty, she had to question:

"Kohaku?"


	2. Meeting Kagome

**__**

Tomadoi

II.

The man stood away from her, looking at her as though she grew two heads. He lowered his weapon to his sides, showing her that he would not harm her at the moment, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Rin smiled slightly before letting her lips break into a large grin, "Rin! Do you remember me?" She half expected him not to, after all; she had grown up more than he had. 

Kohaku stared at her for a moment more, taking in all her features. For awhile, he looked completely confused, but then something must have dawned on him, for his eyes held revelation. He took a step towards her, pointing at her with his index finger. He stuttered, "You…you're the little from…a long time ago!"

He remembered! "Hai!" She replied, bowing in knowledge and of greeting. See, she knew she wasn't in any danger. It was just her old friend, Kohaku. The one that…Sesshoumaru wanted to kill many years ago. If it wasn't for her, she was sure Sesshoumaru would have killed Kohaku right on the spot. However, he knew how much she liked him, therefore granted her the wish of keeping the possessed human alive.

Taking that step back, his expression became solemn, "What are you doing out here at this time of night? I mean…there's probably tons of youkai who would—."

"Didn't Kohaku miss Rin?" the girl asked sadly, her eyes showing the same sorrow. Slowly, she walked forward, wrapping her arms around his waist while resting her head on his shoulder. Over the years of traveling with Sesshoumaru, she had learned to never "intimately" touch him or else, but she also knew what a hug meant. A hug was something given to another to show that they care. And Rin believed she would hug her Sesshoumaru-sama everyday if he permitted, "Rin missed Kohaku."

The boy turned man looked down at his childhood friend who now had herself wrapped around him. His eyes shook a bit; how was it that this girl always knew when to show up at the utmost wrong times? He was just on his way to Naraku, having been called to report to his master. And he knew Naraku didn't like it when something or someone distracted him.

Naraku's law: If someone stands in your way, no matter what the circumstances, kill him or her. If you don't, then I will.

"Rin…" he spoke harshly, yet softly, trying to get his point across. He wanted to catch up on old times, really he did, but…

Kohaku froze. His eyes widened as he felt his heart skip a beat.

__

"Hakai suru..." 

"Mm…iie…" 

__

"Hakai suru."

Kohaku tried not to listen to the words in his head, telepathically spoken from Naraku. But it was impossible. He felt his heart skip another beat and before he could try to pull away from Rin, his mind went blank, Naraku now in complete control. 

Hearing him speak, Rin looked up at Kohaku, wondering what he was saying. His eyes…she had to gasp. They looked different. They were empty…a solid brown nothing. No emotion lit up his face like it had a simple moment ago, making her back off.

"Kohaku?" She called out to him, taking a few more steps back when she saw him raise his kusarikama once again. The chains clattered together, the point of the weapon giving a short sparkle to show its power. Then…everything stopped. Rin couldn't bring herself to turn around and run, for she didn't want her back towards him. Kohaku seemed to be frozen in time, his blank eyes seeming to look at nothing.

He took a single step forward.

"Run." He told her with what little control he had left within himself.

She took another step back, her hands coming up to her face in horror, "Nani?"

She watched in fear as Kohaku clenched his eyes shut, clamping his hands closed to make fists. He shook his head vigorously, screaming with all his might, "_Run!_"

Rin walked backwards a few more steps before turning around and listening to Kohaku's demand. She knew she couldn't have wandered that far away from the cave where she was supposed to stay in and hopefully, if she got there fast enough, everything would be okay.

However, before she got any further than twenty feet, she felt a strong pain pierce through her left shoulder. The pressure threw her to the ground, her hands coming out in front of her to break her landing. Once her hands hit the forest floor, she screamed in pain, making her shoulder go numb for another second before the ache overtook her whole form.

All the way on the other side of the forest, Sesshoumaru's sensitive hearing picked up on Rin's screams. Without any second thought, he turned directly around and headed back in the direction he had just come with all the speed he could muster.

Rin flipped herself to the right so she could stay off of her left side. She tried to sit up, but once she saw all the blood coming from her shoulder, soaking her once beautiful kimono with the shiny redness, she could do nothing but fall on her back and try not to look at the horrid sight. She remembered something like this happening before…but this time, Kohaku had actually gotten her. No…it wasn't Kohaku. She knew that. It was whoever was controlling him. They were the one that hurt her.

She sniffed, determined not to cry. That would just make matters that much worse. Cautiously, she opened her eyes, seeing Kohaku come towards her with that same blank expression.

Pushing herself up slightly with her right arm, she tried her best to get through to him, "Kohaku, yamete! You don't want to do this!"

Kohaku stopped. And surprisingly enough, she saw his pupils return, emotion now finally able to pass through the barrier. And though she was in absolute pain, she let a small smile show, happy that he was finally back to normal.

"Kohaku…"

Before another thought, something flashed in front of her, making her blink twice to finally realize what went on. Looking up again, she saw the back of Sesshoumaru and she could clearly see him holding up Kohaku by the neck, the young man gripping onto the clawed hand that captured him. This time, Kohaku knew full well that he was being strangled.

Rin could do nothing but simply stare at the two with her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes widened when she saw how pale Kohaku was going. She had to stop this!

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Don't hurt Kohaku, please!"

Her lord ignored her, his eyes glaring red at the one he held in the air. How dare he…how dare this man hurt Rin. Sesshoumaru would make sure he paid the ultimate price. He delighted at the fear in his eyes, seeing that he knew he was to die soon…

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin, picking herself up with the strength she didn't know she had, ran the short distance to the two guys, grabbing onto Sesshoumaru's arm that left Kohaku suspended in the air. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw him look down at her with his cold, golden eyes.

"Let him go, Sesshoumaru-sama…for Rin," she knew he would listen now. She used that tone of voice that was just pleading enough and she said the magic words; "for Rin."

Looking at her for a half a minute more, he finally threw Kohaku to the ground and out of arms reach, watching as he slid across the hard ground, picking himself up immediately when he came to a stop and held his neck in his hands, feeling the bruises already form. His breathing came out in ragged breaths, trying to get his airways to work properly.

"Go before I change my mind," Sesshoumaru warned him, the red hint in his eyes not yet disappearing.

Kohaku didn't need to be told twice. Picking up his weapon before standing to his feet, he turned in the opposite direction and ran, knowing that Naraku was probably quite angry with him.

Rin watched him go, sad that he had to leave, but happy that Sesshoumaru let him go. She turned her eyes up towards him, seeing him also look down at her.

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama…" she said, wanting to say more had it not been for his next motion.

He ripped the rest of her sleeve away on the left side, needing to see how deep her cut was. Rin gasped and, though it did not quite expose her, she still felt the need to form her arms in an X to cover herself. Watching him as he studied her gash, she had to bite her bottom lip. It was her fault she got hurt, if she would've just listened to Sesshoumaru and stayed in the cave like she was told, this all would have never happened.

With the piece he had ripped off of her kimono, he wrapped it around her shoulder, tying it tightly in a knot, making her wince from the pressure. Once he was done, she looked into his eyes again, her own orbs full of sadness and shame.

Seeing this clearly, Sesshoumaru turned to the side so he would not have to look at her. He spoke in his low voice, "That should eventually stop the bleeding. You can bathe now if you wish…" he trailed off, looking back down at her, his eyes traveling up and down the full length of her body, "or you can wait until tomorrow when you get a new kimono."

Rin nodded and began to follow him back to the cave, already feeling sticky and dirty. Apparently, the smell of blood was also quite strong by now, as Jaken was already out of the cave, looking with wide eyes at all the blood that covered her body.

"What happened to—" Right away, Jaken stopped. He knew he had done wrong. He was supposed to watch after Rin and now she looked like she got attacked continuously…and Sesshoumaru was back.

Hiding himself as best he could behind his staff, Jaken watched Sesshoumaru walk past him, not even passing him a glance. With a scared whisper, Jaken tried to get his lord's attention, "Se—Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru stopped after he walked past the toad, his back turned towards him. Rin came up beside Jaken, feeling bad for him, knowing that he would get the full force of her wrongdoing. She was thinking about trying to defend him, but she couldn't argue with the fact of…he was supposed to be watching her closely.

"Get some sleep, Rin," Sesshoumaru told her.

"Hai," Rin obliged, walking slowly into the cave, knowing that Sesshoumaru would now stay right outside all night.

**********

The next day, Sesshoumaru sent Jaken to the nearest village to purchase a new kimono for Rin. She requested for a purple and yellow kimono this time, leaving Jaken to search for quite awhile until he saw one that she would like. He usually wouldn't care, but he knew that if he didn't obey Rin's request, he would, once again, hear it from Sesshoumaru.

Once he got it back to her, Sesshoumaru showed her to a nearby hot spring, leaving her to her privacy. Once she saw that everybody was out of sight, she was finally happy to strip out of her bloodstained kimono and slowly sink into the hot water, letting everything wash away. Sighing, she winced when her left shoulder landed under water, the steam making it feel as though the wound reopened. Of course, she wouldn't be able to tell because she didn't take the cloth that Sesshoumaru had tied around her arm off. She didn't think she would be able to bear the sight. She would just wait until it was almost healed before looking at it.

Rin sucked in a deep breath and ducked her head under water, her hair floating above her. She could feel the steaming water soak into every pore of her body, making her shiver once before heat took over. Before she knew it, she was rising to the surface again, clearly seeing heat radiate off of her skin. Her hair clung to her back and neck, the weight quite heavy from the length.

Finally, she had time to just think and relax. Think about what? Well, everything. Rin was one where she liked to think about a lot of things at one time…as long as they were enjoyable, of course. She let her thoughts settle to Sesshoumaru and Kohaku for starters. 

Why did Sesshoumaru still hate Kohaku? Did he still have a grudge on him from all those years ago? Sure, Kohaku had hurt her again last night, but she was sure Sesshoumaru was smart enough to figure out that he wasn't in complete control. Why didn't her lord go after the source of the problem if he wanted to protect her? Whoever was the one controlling Kohaku was the one he needed to strangle.

It was good seeing Kohaku again, however, even if it was for a short amount of time. She remembered a long time ago, when she first met him; she had developed a somewhat of a crush on the eleven-year-old. She kept that secret to herself, but every time she happened to see him, she would take a time out to go say hello. Rin tried to keep that emotion strong, but after so long of not seeing him, it kind of faded away. Out of sight, out of mind, she supposed.

She began to focus completely on Sesshoumaru then. With Kohaku out of the picture, he remained her only friend, if she dare call him that. Not that she minded this, of course. Rin felt that she began to love him more and more with each passing day and by the time she was sixteen-and-a-half, she believed she could love no other more than she did Sesshoumaru.

Again, she kept that secret to herself, having that gut feeling that even though Sesshoumaru cared about her, he didn't care about her in that way. No matter, she had complete control of her emotions and would keep traveling with Sesshoumaru and Jaken under circumstances that have always been.

Rin ducked under the water again. She figured she should be getting out soon, even though she just entered. The heat was really getting to her and she saw that all the blood had washed away, making her cleaner than ever. Coming back to the surface, she took in a big breath of air before turning and slowly walking over to land. Her legs felt as though they weighed a ton under the strong water. This seemed to make her more tired than necessary.

She looked around the area before lifting herself out of the water. With both of her hands, she grabbed a handful of her hair and lifted it above her head. With ease, she kept it that way with her right hand, leaving her left hand to reach down for the towel lying by her kimono. Wrapping it around herself, she sat down on the second towel, waiting until she cooled down and got dry before slipping into her clothing.

The sun shone down on her brightly, glistening over her wet body. She let her hair fall down, then brought it over her right shoulder, letting her fingers slowly and gently glide through her strands. A small smile played over her lips, her eyes shrinking into a wonderful thought. A soft humming tune emitted from her throat, playing a song in her mind she never heard before.

Sesshoumaru, who was simply resting his back against a tree and sitting on the forest floor, was only a short distance from where Rin was. He wanted to make sure she didn't get into any more trouble, since it always seemed to find her in some way. His ears picked up on the sound of her getting out of the water, but then sensed that she had sat down. So much for leaving early. He then heard her begin to hum. That was what he had been waiting for.

Of course, he would never admit this to anyone else…he hardly admitted it to himself. That he loved to hear her beautiful singing voice give so much emotion that one could've sworn that Rin was emotion itself, if that made any sense at all.

In the back of his mind, he half noticed that Jaken was only a couple trees away, mumbling and complaining about something Sesshoumaru certainly didn't want to hear about. 

He put his head back against the tree, his boa supporting his neck for a comfortable position. His eyes wandered upwards to the top of the trees, that being the thing to give the land shade, only leaving some spots for the sunlight to shine down.

At least he knew she was okay, not in as much pain as he thought she would be. Then again, she was always good at keeping her mind occupied and not wanting anyone to feel pity on her by fussing all the time. Sesshoumaru knew he would probably still have to check her wound later on to see if it was healing at all. He figured she wouldn't do it herself.

Suddenly, he heard her humming come to a stop. His orbs roamed back down to look straight ahead of him, snapping out of what little daydream he had been in. He stood, wrapping the boa around his shoulder again, and began walking forward. As he passed Jaken, he stopped for a moment to address him.

"Jaken."

Jaken paused immediately, froze in a position to look up at his lord, "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Make sure Rin catches up," was all he said before walking forward again, though at a slow enough pace that his two followers would be able to catch up with ease.

Jaken wanted to disagree. He wanted to follow Sesshoumaru now and just have Rin catch up on her own. Let her prove once and for all that she is worthy enough to be with the two of them! Alas…he knew there would be no arguing with Sesshoumaru. He had to wait for Rin as Sesshoumaru went on ahead.

Mumbling complaints and whatnot, he made his way to the hot spring, ready to tell her to hurry up. However, once he got to the small clearing, he noticed that only two towels were present. The kimono and Rin were gone.

He sweat dropped. Not good…

Rin walked up a small hill, her new kimono clinging to her still wet body, her hair drying faster than usual from the warm day. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration. She had heard another person humming to a different tune not far from where she had been. It was obvious the voice belonged to a girl…no, a woman. The voice seemed a bit more mature than hers, leaving her to wonder what she would be doing out in the middle of nowhere.

She reached the top of he hill, peering over cautiously at first, but quickly coming to the top to stare at the beauty. There was a large field, tons of wild flowers growing in various places amongst the green, green grass. Waves seemed to be dancing amidst nature's garden every time the wind gave a nice breeze. 

Off to one side, Rin happened to spot the woman that had been singing. She was sitting on her knees and picking certain flowers that were around her, already having a bouquet in one hand.

Rin began to walk closer. She suddenly got the feeling of déjà vu. She felt as though she had run into someone she knew from a long time ago once again.

The woman turned to the side and Rin knew right away. There was no mistaking it. Long, raven hair, eyes full of care, weird clothing…

Rin put on a large smile as she went into a slow jog. The woman happened to notice her out of the corner of her eye, her head turning to stare at the girl in slight confusion.

Rin slowed down when she was close to her, the smile never leaving her lips, "Konnichi wa, Kagome!"


	3. Trouble

**__**

Tomadoi

III.

The older woman looked up at the young girl who now stood in front of her. She quickly scanned her over, starting from her face, down to her feet, then back up again. The girl looked familiar in a way…the way her hair flowed, the slight slant at the corner of her eyes, the curiosity in those brown orbs. Yes, Kagome knew she definitely saw her before.

"Umm…hello," Kagome replied, tilting her head slightly to the side, "have we met?"

Rin nodded, a little down that Kagome didn't remember her, "I'm the one that was always with Sesshoumaru-sama."

That explained everything perfectly. Rin watched as Kagome's eyes immediately brightened, a big smile spreading over her full lips, "Rin-chan…is that you?" Kagome observed the vigorous nod she was given, "Wow, you grew up a lot!" The miko stood to her feet, now looking at the girl that was only slightly shorter than herself.

"Arigatou," Rin thanked, giving a small bow for the priestess, "you changed, too."

Kagome spread her arms out to look down at herself quickly. Since she got out of high school and no longer needed to wear her school outfit, she began experimenting with other clothing. Today, she happened to be wearing a casual blue dress that stopped at a little above her knees, the sleeves being spaghetti straps. Looking as though it had been stretched a bit, the one strap fell a little over Kagome's shoulder, causing her to lift it back up to it's normal spot. She wasn't wearing any shoes at the moment, figuring she didn't need any to pick flowers.

"I guess I did a little, but you…" Kagome looked back up at Rin, "the last time I saw you, you were what? Seven-years-old? That was a long time ago, ne?"

Rin merely nodded, clasping her hands in front of her to look down at the flowers that Kagome already picked. Her eyes were quite attracted to them, as she couldn't seem to avert her gaze anywhere else.

Kagome saw this, following her eyes down to the patch of flowers, "Would you like to join me? I would love the company."

It was Rin's turn to have her eyes light up, so much child wonderment still dancing through them, "Rin would be honored!" After stating this politely, she slowly lowered herself to the ground, straightening her kimono out so it would be more comfortable as she sat down in the grass.

The miko sat back down with her, gently picking out a few more selected flowers to add to her bouquet, "I tried to get Inuyasha to come with me, but he refused," Kagome started, figuring she would begin a conversation. She shook her head, setting the groomed flowers down in her pile, "I don't even know why I'm still picking flowers for him."

Rin looked up at her with a certain glint in her eyes, not even paying attention to the flowers she ripped out from its roots, "You like Inuyasha?"

Kagome saw this look and had to laugh a bit. She got more situated on her knees, her hands resting in her lap, "Yes, I love him. We've been together for quite awhile now." She paused, "And what about you?"

Knowing what she was talking about yet not letting it on, Rin couldn't help but hold back the smile that invaded her whole face, "What about Rin?"

"Do you have your eyes set on anyone?"

"Of course not!" Rin exclaimed, though still smiling. However, it didn't even take her a moment's time before she leaned in closer to Kagome, putting her hand to the side of her mouth. In return, Kagome came closer also, seeing as how it was supposed to be a secret.

"Actually…Rin really loves her Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin admitted, a small blush lighting up her already rosy cheeks. She couldn't help but let a giggle out when she saw how wide Kagome's eyes had gotten.

"Sesshoumaru…?! D-demo…" Kagome couldn't find the right words to speak. Rin…_in love…_with Sesshoumaru? Well, that's what she assumed. After all, the girl was seventeen now, she had to know what she liked somewhat. Kagome had to almost subconsciously wonder why she never pictured Rin and Sesshoumaru together when she ran into them before. She mentally smacked herself. Duh! She was only a child and Sesshoumaru despised humans. That was reason enough.

"Nani?" Rin asked pryingly. She reached her hand up to put her still wet hair behind one ear, staring at Kagome questioningly.

Kagome snapped out of her shock, only gazing at Rin once before letting a small smile linger, "Nothing at all. I think it's great that you love Sesshoumaru, Rin. You're good for him." And that was the blunt truth. Rin had seemed to soften Sesshoumaru right from the beginning, and even from the couple times her and Inuyasha happened to run into the youkai, he wasn't as cold as he used to be.

"You really think so?" Rin catechized, intertwining her fingers together. She held her hands in front of her, a hopeful and dreamy look overcoming her features.

Picking another flower out of enjoyment, Kagome sniffed it deeply, "How do you think Sesshoumaru feels?"

The look quickly disappeared from the teenager's eyes as they seemed to become slightly confused. She dropped her hands on her lap, giving her head a small shake, "Rin doesn't know how Sesshoumaru feels. I like to think he feels the same way I do."

Kagome simply nodded, her grin growing more as she began to remember back when she was still a young teenager who was head over heels for Inuyasha. She was always so confused on his feeling about their relationship, mostly because of Kikyou. Rin seemed to be almost in the same situation, except there wasn't another that had Sesshoumaru's eye. That is, she didn't think so. The only thing that would stop Sesshoumaru from feeling the same way about Rin is his hatred for inferior beings. But Kagome optimistically agreed in her mind that Sesshoumaru did love Rin if he still let her travel with him, even if he didn't admit it.

"Mm…Kagome?"

Kagome happened to notice the shyness in her voice suddenly and couldn't help but automatically become inquisitorial, "Hai, Rin-chan?" 

"There is…someone else that I really like," Rin confessed, her hands now busy wringing around each other. To try to occupy herself, she slowly began to pick more flowers to give to Sesshoumaru when she saw him again.

That reminded her…Sesshoumaru-sama! She had suddenly walked away from the hot springs without even acknowledging him or Jaken. Oh…she hoped that they still thought she was taking a bath and didn't bother to check on her. She didn't want her Sesshoumaru-sama mad or worried about her. 

Standing up quickly, she gathered her group of flowers up in her right hand, "Gomen ne, I have to go now!" Rin said in a hurry, already walking backwards to retrace her steps down to the hot springs, "Sesshoumaru-sama is probably worried about me."

Kagome stood up also, a little disappointed that she had to go already, but she understood. She gave a high wave above her head and watched as Rin turned around and began doing the same. "Bai-bai, Rin-chan! Good luck! Hopefully we'll see each other again real soon!"

"Hai!" Rin called over her shoulder happily, her quick walking soon turning into a fast jog, "Ja ne!" And as she made her way back to her rightful spot, she couldn't help but grin a little, now noticing that Kagome was the first person she ever told that she liked Sesshoumaru. And she even wanted to tell her more! Rin had to admit, it felt pretty good to finally let the feelings out. She couldn't wait to see her again.

When Rin came back to the hot springs, the first thing she noticed was Jaken pacing back and forth where her towels were. She blinked, watching as he yelled insults at himself and at her, complaining about how upset Sesshoumaru would be with him because he lost her again.

She slowly walked closer, just waiting for the toad to begin flipping out on her, "Jaken-sama, what are you doing?"

Jaken screamed annoyingly, throwing his arms up in the air and turning around to look at whoever called him. Of course, it was none other than Rin…who else would call him "Jaken-sama?"

"Anata…!" He began, pointing an accused finger at her as though he just caught her in a murder, "Where were you hiding this time?! Sesshoumaru-sama and I told you to stay _right here!_" He pointed to the ground he stood on, his eyes lowered down with frustration, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Taking his words all in vain, she showed him one of her cute smiles and handed him one of the many flowers she picked, "This is for you, Jaken-sama, from Rin."

And that was that. Rin walked past him and into the forest where she knew Sesshoumaru was bound to be. Because he didn't have both his followers, Rin knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have gone more than a mile ahead of them. Her smile never ceased as she took a big whiff of the garland she held in her hands. She was positive Sesshoumaru would love them.

Jaken-sama, who stood in the same spot, looked down at the flower in disbelief. What, was it some kind of sorry gift?! Well, if it was, he wasn't about to accept her apology just yet! He threw the flower down to the ground, stomping on it once with his slimy feet. Satisfied with what he'd done, he put on a smog face, only then happy enough to turn around and catch up with Sesshoumaru.

**********

In no time, Rin and Jaken were able to catch up to him, spotting him beside an unusually large tree. The inu-youkai was looking around the area with slight curiosity as though he sensed something nearby.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin shouted abruptly from excitement as soon as she saw him. She broke out into a run, feeling her stomach do a small flip when he turned around and looked at her. Reaching him in record time, she only took a couple seconds to catch her breath. Rin looked up at him with a big smile, seeing as how his golden eyes stared at her with his attention. 

Rin held out the flowers for him, the purple, pink, and yellow petals mixing and gathering together to make the batch almost look like the early evening sky, "I picked these for you."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the flowers but quickly looked back at her. She felt her heart skip a beat at the way he looked at her but didn't have quite enough time to comprehend it before she saw him look above her in slight alarm. He pushed her to the side with enough force to send her to the ground, though not hurting herself. Rin felt the air leave her lungs for a moment, her eyes staring directly at the flowers that now lay in front of her.

A loud screech echoed throughout the area, making her head snap up in bewilderment. Above her, she saw a large washi-youkai swoop through the air, Sesshoumaru swiping at it once before it ascended into the air again. The bird circled their area a few more times before heading towards the ground again at a quick speed, hoping to catch Sesshoumaru off guard. 

She screamed at the horrific sight, rolling to her stomach to put her hands over her head. Rin clenched her eyes shut tightly as she held her breath, closely listening to any sounds the fighters happened to make.

Jaken was making loud noises of panic, his feet heard running this and that way over the leaves below him. Sesshoumaru was keeping calm as the washi made sudden, unexpected dives at him, only swinging his claws when he found necessary.

Rin was sure Sesshoumaru had gotten the youkai when everything went quiet and she heard some kind of limb make a loud thump as it fell to the ground. She was just about to lift her head when she heard another loud squawk, followed by about five other shrieks. Continuing to be pressed against the ground, Rin knew that it was better that she stays that way. She was out of Sesshoumaru's way and hopefully none the of the evil youkai spotted her.

Her hopes on that reason were thrown out the window as she felt two sharp claws dig into each of her shoulders, lifting her off the ground with extreme force. She couldn't bring herself to let out a scream just yet as she reached her arms downward as though trying to grab something that would prevent her from going into the air.

Another washi flew past her quickly, making her head snap back from surprise. Finally finding her voice, she let out a blood-curdling scream. Her legs kicked back and forth, her hands coming up to grip the claws that had a hold on her. It was only then that she realized how many there actually were. The washi were flying everywhere, either around the one that held her or down around Sesshoumaru. The part of the forest they were in must have been their home and they felt Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jaken were invading it.

"Please…let me go! We promise we won't come back here again!" Rin screamed over the ear-piercing screeches, trying to reason with the washi. Of course, it wasn't even listening to her as it began to carry her further and further away from Sesshoumaru and Jaken.

__

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" 

Sesshoumaru, quite frankly, was getting tired with all this nonsense. He had just heard how desperate Rin's voice had become when he decided to end it once and for all. His hands began glowing a sickly green color as he was planning on using Dokkasou. He lashed forward, bringing his claws down with enough dynamism that he cut half the washi in half, leaving the rest that didn't die to be poisoned.

Hardly paying attention to all the dead youkais that dropped around him like flies (nor the persistent yelling of Jaken), he looked up into the sky to spot the one that still held Rin, a couple others still flying around it. Sesshoumaru pushed himself off the ground hard enough to go into the air easily. He realized that the birds were not flying at a high altitude, for he was airborne above the washi. 

His eyes showed no emotion as he focused on his target, his feet landing perfectly in the middle of the washi's back. The washi noticed this, letting out a boisterous call to warn the other two that there was trouble. This proved to be fruitless, however, for as soon as they came too close, they were shred in half. 

Not wasting any more time, Sesshoumaru bared his claws while on one knee, bringing his hand down to pierce through the skin, reaching to the insides of the bird. He let the toxin flow into the washi, listening to its pitiful squeaks of pain. 

Hearing Rin suddenly scream again, he looked over the side of the washi to see that it had lost its grip on Rin's shoulders. She was plummeting to the ground at a accelerating pace, the trees and ground coming dangerously closer.

Without another thought, Sesshoumaru jumped off the back of the dying washi, determined to catch Rin before the ground beat him to it.


End file.
